Waiting To Grow Up
by Cyberchao X
Summary: A continuation of what began with "Sweet Dreams, Nagi-chan". Nagi deals with the pain of waiting for Hayate to be ready to see her as a potential love interest...sometimes in a rather "interesting" way. Also contains HinagikuXAyumu
1. The dream starts when I wake up

**Waiting To Grow Up**

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. Man, I want Nagi-chan… :-(

A/N: This takes place after "Sweet Dreams, Nagi-chan." This is going to be a multi, I think, or at least, it will be expanding beyond what's initially up here. Probably. You know how flighty I can be when it comes to finishing fanfics…

_

* * *

Huh? I'm in my bed…but I don't remember getting into bed. Wasn't I drawing manga?_ Nagi woke up, confused. _Was that all just a dream? And…my confession, too?_ She examined her room and herself. Still dressed, and indeed, her manga was there—although it had been put away. _Someone came in after I fell asleep. But Maria would've helped me into my nightclothes, so…_ "Hayate…"

"Yes, ojou-sama?" The butler arrived, on cue.

"Wh-what are you doing here? I didn't call you! Get out; I have to change!"

"Yes, ojou-sama."

_He called me ojou-sama…maybe I _was_ dreaming? N-no, he's probably just being formal because he can't be sure that we're alone. Besides, right now, he's my butler. But when I'm all grown up…_ A contented sigh. "Then you'll be mine…Haya—No, I didn't call for you!" she cried out, hearing him approaching. _That was close. If I'd let him continue, he would've walked in on me in a very compromising state. Though, I guess it's nothing he hasn't seen…_ She blushed furiously. She finished getting dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast.

* * *

"Is it my imagination, or is ojou-sama in a better mood than usual?" Maria asked.

"I-I'm the same as always," Nagi protested.

"I agree. Ojou-sama just radiates happiness today," Hayate replied, "although she's trying to hide it."

"You too, Hayate?"

Hayate's smile didn't waver. "Of course, N—ojou-sama." Hayate and Nagi looked at each other nervously, hoping that Maria hadn't picked up on his near-slipup. She looked suspiciously at Hayate, but said nothing.

"Well, you're both imagining things. Why would I be happy on a school day?"

"Good point," both of the servants agreed.

Once the two of them were on their way to school, Hayate asked again, "Tell me honestly, Nagi-chan; you _are_ awfully happy about something, aren't you?"

"You just answered your own question," Nagi replied, reaching up and kissing him on the cheek.

"Nagi-chan! Someone could see us. I thought I told you, not until you get older."

"Just confirming that that was real. I was worried that I'd dreamt the whole thing. So…you're not just saying that to get me to leave you alone? You really mean it when you say that when I grow up, you'll be my lover?"

Hayate sweatdropped. "You certainly are forward…but yes, I do. You remind me a lot of another girl I once knew…although you're much nicer than she was."

"Oh? Were you in love with this girl?"

"Yes, I suppose I was. Much like you, she was very rich, and had no parents, and she even had blond hair like you do. But she was…kind of a yandere, now that I think about it. I'm not sure what I saw in her…but then again, I was young, and I was distracted by her beauty."

"And…I'm beautiful, too, like her? Only nicer?"

"Yes, you are both very sweet and very pretty, Nagi-ch—ojou-sama, ." Nagi took the hint that they were no longer alone, but for the rest of the day, she found that she couldn't stop smiling.


	2. What goes on in the minds of the young

**Waiting To Grow Up**

Disclaimer: Still don't own any of this, sadly.

"Hayate-kun? Do you have any idea why ojou-sama seems so happy?" Maria asked.

Knowing the reason, yet afraid to tell Maria, Hayate replied, "No. It's a good thing, though, don't you think?"

"Yeah, but still…it's strange. It's so unlike her."

"Everyone deserves to be happy once in awhile. Don't worry about it. Besides…it makes things easier on all of us."

"A fine point."

_I really hope she doesn't get suspicious…_ he thought, knowing the implications of this…er…"relationship".

* * *

"Nagi-chan…I love you. I want you."

"Oh, Hayate…how long I've waited to hear you say that. But what happened to waiting until I was older?"

"I don't care. I can't wait any longer. I'm captivated by your beauty." The butler reached down and pulled off the girl's top, earning a blush.

"H-Hayate…"

He put a finger to her lips. "You don't have to say a word, Nagi-chan. Just being with me is enough." He gently removed her skirt, and she undressed him in reply. As one hand fondled the small, tender young breasts, the other reached down inside the panties, slowly starting to slide them down…

* * *

A knock on the door interrupted the girl's reverie. She looked down at her notebook, then panicked to find that her free hand had started to creep down into her panties. "Uh, hold on! I'll be right with you!" _Oh my god…I'm such a pervert! No one can ever see this. Well, maybe I could show it to Hayate once we're married, but for now…no one. I can't believe I was making hentai of myself and Hayate…_ Once she was sure it was securely hidden and that there was no sign of her own…stimulation, she opened the door. "Ah, Hayate!"

"It's time for you to be going to bed, ojou-sama. We can't have you falling asleep at your desk again, can we?"

"I thought I told you to call me Nagi-chan when it's just the two of us," she whispered (in case there _was_ someone else around), then said normally, "S-so that was you that moved me to my bed last night… You better not have done anything funny!"

"I swear, Nagi-chan, I was a perfect gentleman. And it didn't feel right calling you by name when I came up here not as your friend but as your butler."

"R-right. Y-you didn't read my manga, did you?"

"You shouldn't be embarrassed. I thought it was cute. Your dreams of the future…it was sweet."

"But it's so embarrassing! Especially for _you_ to see it."

"Would you have rather someone _else_ seen it? Like Maria-san or Klaus-san?"

"Klaus has no interest in getting to know me as a person. He wouldn't have read my manga…or put it away, for that matter, so thank you. And Maria…already knows that I've had a crush on you since we first met."

"Really?"

"Yes, well, I had to explain why I hired you as my butler out of the blue like that… That reminds me; you still owe me an explanation for what _really_ went on back then!"

"Uh…it's really getting late. You should be getting to bed."

"You're not going to be able to weasel out of this forever!"

"No, but I can weasel out of it right now. Ah, Maria-san," he said, as the maid approached, "Yeah, she's still up. She hasn't even changed into her pajamas yet, so I really ought to be leaving…"

"Yeah, you ought to," Maria agreed. Hayate shot a grin at Nagi as he left, and she scowled at him.

* * *

CCX: You know, I kind of expected the lemony part to be longer…and closer to the end of the chapter. Which is also far shorter than I would've liked. Still, I think I finally understand how films can end up rated above the viewing levels of their main stars. Nagi's such a dirty girl…

Nagi: Hey, this is your fault, not mine. I just follow the lines you feed me. And why do I keep getting singled out in your disclaimers for who you wish you owned?

CCX: Because you're so cute.

Nagi: I think that's called a lolita complex…

CCX: Hey, I didn't say I wanted you _that_ way.

Nagi: Well, do you?

CCX: …Maybe.

Nagi: You're sick. I mean, you're as old as Maria, and I—

Maria: Excuse me? I'm only 17! He's a good deal older than me!

Nagi: *looks at CCX* *looks at Maria* You two really look like you could be the same age.

CCX: Yeah, I know I look younger than I really am. That's why I stopped shaving; thought it would make me look older.

Nagi: It does. You really do look 19. (Maria glares at Nagi, following the previous comment)

CCX: 20.

Both: Huh?

CCX: I'm 20 now. My birthday was a few weeks ago, at the end of March.

Nagi: But it's November… (In-story, that is) Well…until next time!


	3. I have to find him the perfect gift

**Waiting To Grow Up**

Nagi: So what was up with that last chapter, anyway? You put up a K+-level first chapter with a T rating for future content, but then the very next chapter necessitates a bump up to M!

CCX: Well, I know where I'm at. My lemons tend to get the most traffic, and I like getting readers. Besides, after writing the first chapter, I went to bed, and my mind tends to go off in…certain directions, at night.

Nagi: That explains why those proposed Fire Emblem lemons never get written—you can't get into the right frame of mind during the daytime.

CCX: That, and once _I_ know how the story goes, it becomes less interesting to write it down. Hell, it's been two years since I conceived the idea of _Conn. A&M_, and it still hasn't caught up to where I had worked out before I got back from vacation. Granted, some of those ideas were nixed, but we're only just now getting to the genesis of the idea…

Nagi: Hey, yeah, I wonder…will you even be _able_ to do this properly?

CCX: It's not going to be pure lemon, if that's what you're asking. It's going to be an actual story with occasional lemony interludes for fanservice.

Nagi: Not what I meant. You've got the two lemons here, and _Conn. A&M _over on fictionpress. But what do all three of them have in common? _They're all yuri._ The hypothetical Fire Emblem lemons would be yuri, too. Hell, you haven't actually written a het lemon since *whispers something*

CCX: Don't talk about that piece of crap! Yeah, man, I've never really had much luck with that franchise. Not even the one that I published…

Nagi: I'm right, though, aren't I? Because your other fictionpress work has always stopped just short of lemon…

CCX: …yes.

Nagi: Even last chapter, you devoted a lot more detail to my undressing than you did to Hayate's. I wonder…are you so insecure in your manhood that you can't bring yourself to write sex scenes for males, even if they're with females?

CCX: MY MANHOOD IS JUST FINE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

Nagi: *looks shocked* Okay, _really_ not what I meant.

CCX: *embarrassed* Agreed. Let's pretend that never happened.

Nagi: We're already on the second page. Now, I'm just going to say that CCX here doesn't own me, no matter how much he may want me, nor does he own any of the other characters. And then he's going to start the story, _right?_

CCX: Right.

* * *

"Happy birthday, Hayate. Are you ready to unwrap your present?"

"Oh? And what might that be?"

"I thought you'd never ask." Nagi entered the room wrapped up in a lot of ribbons and nothing else, a bow placed squarely between her legs. "It was kind of hard to wrap," she giggled.

"Ojou-sama! You're going to be late for school if you don't get down here right now!" Maria called out.

Nagi put down the notebook she was drawing in. "Yeah, yeah…" _I really hope I hit a serious growth spurt soon. I'm not sure how much more waiting I can do.

* * *

_

"I don't know what type of gift to get Hayate for his birthday," Nagi said. "He's so poor, he'd refuse almost anything I could buy, saying it was too expensive."

"Oh, is his birthday coming up soon? I should probably get him something…after all, he got me a gift for my birthday," Hinagiku replied. "But why do you think I could help you?"

"I don't know…I thought you were just good at these things."

"Well, it probably doesn't have to be much, right? I mean, he is just your butler. It's not like you really need to dote on him that much…"

"Hayate's more than just a butler! He's…he's really special." She blushed. "I-I mean, he's saved me from bad guys so often, and I just think…he deserves something nice."

"Uh, yeah…yeah, he does…"

"If only it were as easy in reality as it was in my manga…"

"Oh? And what happened in your manga?" Hinagiku asked curiously.

Nagi turned beet red and replied, "Nothing! Forget I said anything, okay!" She ran off.

Hinagiku thought to herself, _I really need to think of something great to get Hayate-kun for his birthday, too. Hmm…I should probably tell Ayumu about this as well. Wait, she went to his old school; she probably already knows about his birthday. And if she doesn't, well, that's not my problem. I-it's not like I'm purposely keeping anything important from her that would endanger her chances with him, right? And even if I did, there isn't any competition going on…

* * *

_

"You're seventeen too now, right, Hayate-kun?" Maria asked.

"Too? Oh, right…no, I'm still 16."

"Really? But you were 16 when ojou-sama first hired you…"

"And you were 17, which you still are, and she was 13, which she still is. I know it seems like it's been well over a year, but it hasn't been, not yet, anyway."

"So then your birthday must be coming up soon, right?"

"Yeah, on the eleventh."

"Oh, that's just a few days from now! I should get you something. And make sure ojou-sama knows; I'm sure she'll want to get you something, too."

"I think she already knows, but if you want to make sure, go right ahead."

"I'll tell her when she gets home. It certainly is nice to have her over at Sakuya's instead of the other way around, huh?"

"Indeed. I always have to be on my guard when Sakuya and her 'comebacks' are around."

* * *

Nagi: So, what do I end up getting for Hayate?

CCX: I can't say that here! These postscripts are free ground for the other characters to enter if need be; remember how Maria-san showed up last time?

Nagi: *sweatdrops* You just haven't come up with anything, have you?

CCX: Nope, haven't got a clue. Could make writing the next chapter tough.

Nagi: Well, keep trying. You may be kind of perverted at times, but the Hayate The Combat Butler section of this site is so small, I can't complain about actually getting into a fanfic. And we all know that as soon as writer's block hits, the chances of the story actually getting finished are next to nil.

CCX: …Don't remind me.


	4. The truth within the butler's heart

**Waiting To Grow Up**

Nagi: …You still have no idea where this thing is going, do you?

CCX: Like I said, when I know the script already, I have no motivation to write it.

Nagi: We could continue to be meta. It worked before. Hell, it works for us normally, too.

CCX: Doesn't work here. Script format ban, remember?

Nagi: Right. I'll start the disclaimer. CCX here owns, well, pretty much nothing.

CCX: Must you be so blunt?

Nagi: Yes.

* * *

"Ah, Ayumu…funny running into you here…"

"Oh, Hina-san, you remembered!"

"Y-yeah, of course. We're friends now, right?"

"So, then, I suppose you're probably looking for a birthday gift for Hayate-kun, too…"

"It's only fair. He got me a gift for my birthday."

"Really?" Nishizawa looked down nervously.

"Oh no…don't tell me he didn't get you a gift for your birthday!"

"It's no big deal, really…"

"Aw, there, there, it's okay…" Hinagiku found herself being drawn towards the older girl.

* * *

Nagi: Older?

CCX: Yeah, I know, Nishizawa seems so young and small, but she's actually both older and taller than Hinagiku. I double-checked the profiles. I didn't believe it, either…

Nagi: Why am I not in this scene?

CCX: Just because you're the main character of this story doesn't mean you'll be in every scene.

* * *

"Ah…Hina-san?"

"It's okay. Maybe you're just looking in the wrong place. Hayate's a fool not to be a better boyfriend to you."

"Uh, but…he's not my boyfriend. He said that he wasn't ready for a girlfriend yet. I think he's too devoted to his duties as the Sanzenin butler…"

"Workaholic. You deserve better."

"No, I don't…I'm just an ordinary girl. I'm nothing like you, Hina-san…"

"You seem to have an awfully high opinion of me, Ayumu. You know, it seems so strange, you having me call you by name without an honorific, and yet you call me 'Hina-san'. And you're older than me…"

"W-we're the same age! Just because my birthday is early in the school year and yours is late in the school year, it makes no difference…"

"Yeah, you're right…even if it is nearly 10 months… Well, it doesn't matter. If I'm to address you without an honorific, then you should do the same for me."

"Uh, y-yeah…Hina. Is that okay?"

Hinagiku smiled. "Yeah, that's great."

* * *

"Well, since Hayate will probably reject any gift I could buy him…I'll just have to make something! I'm sure I can win his heart if I can make something great!" Nagi thought about this for awhile. "But I can't cook…Ah, but that will only make it all the more special if I make something delicious! I'm a genius!"

Elsewhere in the mansion…

"Is something burning?" Hayate asked.

"Smells like ojou-sama's cooking," Maria replied. "She must be trying to make something for your birthday."

"She could've just bought me something…"

"You don't exactly have a great track record when it comes to accepting our generosity, Hayate-kun."

"That's because you have no perception of the value of money, Maria-san."

"Perhaps you have no perception of the value of money either, Hayate-kun, seeing as how you never had any. We both have skewed perceptions, huh?"

"Still, I wish she wouldn't be so stubborn."

"She's starting early, though. I think she expects to fail on the first attempt, make sure she gets it right in time. When she sets her mind to something, there's no stopping that girl."

_Yeah, that's what I'm worried about…eventually she's going to find out how horrible a person I was when we first met… Normally, this is the type of thing I'd talk to Maria-san about, but now that I know that she knows that Nagi-chan likes me and that she thought I liked her, I can't have her knowing that Nagi-chan knows that she misinterpreted my words…because then she'd know that I know Nagi-chan's feelings, and might guess that I reciprocate those feelings… Wait, I reciprocate those feelings?_ "Can you excuse me for a second, Maria-san?"

* * *

"So, now you see my dilemma."

"Wait, so you initially were going to _kidnap_ ojou-sama? And now you're going along with her dreams of having you as her boyfriend? You're pathetic. You should just tell the truth and go away."

"You're just jealous because I can talk to her normally and you can't, aren't you, Tama?"

The tiger grimaced. "You don't have to put it that way…"

"Maybe I don't have to tell her what I was initially trying to do. After all, all that matters is how I feel today."

"How you…feel today?"

"…Yeah. If it were to happen all over again now…if I were to say those words again…it would mean exactly what she thought it meant."

"So on top of all this, now you've got a lolita complex? You're a horrible person, Hayate, who deserves to _die!_" The tiger pounced at Hayate, and a scuffle ensued. Just another ordinary day at the Sanzenin mansion…

* * *

Nagi: That was the whole chapter? I got one damn paragraph! Hina-san and the hamster had more time than me!

Ayumu: I'm not a hamster!

Nagi: Well, those two had better not take over the story. This story is for me and Hayate!

CCX: Don't worry, you're still the main focus. Besides, I thought you'd be happy that two of your main rivals for Hayate's love are being shipped with each other instead.

Nagi: Well, I hadn't thought of it that way… Can you take care of some of my other rivals that way, too?

CCX: Well, I _had_ noticed some definite bisexual leanings out of Sakuya, and while some of them were directed at you, Isumi seems to get the brunt of it…

Nagi: *looks intrigued* I-I wouldn't want to get in the way of Wataru's love for Isumi… After all, he's technically my fiancé, so if he doesn't get taken, I'm screwed.

CCX: I thought the idea was to get you screwed.

Nagi: Shut up shut up shut up!

CCX: But, don't worry. He's got Saki. And that fake nun, Sonia, is interested as well. Now, then, you probably don't want me writing chapter 5 right now…it's getting far too late, and writing fanfiction when I'm tired inevitably leads to me doing something stupid and having to tweak it the next day.

Nagi: You mean like this chapter? Or forgetting the disclaimer a couple days ago?

CCX: ...Exactly.


	5. Finally beginning to grow into a woman

**Waiting To Grow Up**

Nagi: And yet you started late at night anyway.

CCX: Not to worry, little Nagi-chan, I didn't finish it at night. And I'm pretty sure I didn't mess anything up. Now, do the disclaimer.

Nagi: CCX doesn't own any of this stuff, and I am in no way associated with this guy's dirty mind.

CCX: Urusai, biotch!

Nagi: *sweatdrops*

* * *

The butler lay on the bed, tied up. "I…can't…_believe…you!_" With each word, a crack of the whip. "You _scum!_"

"I'm sorry, Nagi-chan! I was desperate! I didn't mean to mislead you!"

"Call me 'ojou-sama', you plebeian!"

"Y-yes, ojou-sama! A-and I really mean it when I say that I want you now, the same way you want me!"

The girl turned red. "You…" One more crack of the whip. "Fine. I think you've suffered enough. Heck…I might have even gone a bit too far. Guess you'll just have to make _me_ scream a bit." She pulled off her skirt and panties. "I've got _just the place…_"

Hayate awoke with a start. _I've got to get over this guilt. That was one seriously strange dream. And that turn towards the sexual at the end…is that _my_ desires, or am I just projecting ojou-sama as being that way because of what happened a few nights ago with her confession? It's strange, though…up until it took that distinctly hentai twist, it seemed bizarrely familiar…

* * *

_

"Maria? I'm having a little trouble here…"

"Oh? What is it, ojou-sama?"

Maria went to Nagi's room to find her mostly undressed, futilely trying to clasp her bra. "It won't close. Wh-what are you doing?"

Maria had lightly started to handle the young breasts. "Yeah, you're right…I think you're finally starting to mature. Well, I'll take you shopping tomorrow. For today, however…you're just going to have to deal." She tugged it until it could close.

"It's a bit…tight."

"Well, what do you expect? You need the next size up. Look on the bright side…it makes you look even bigger than you really are."

Nagi looked down, and for the first time in her life, there was a bit of cleavage. "I think I'll manage to handle the discomfort for one day." Maria had to hold back a chuckle.

* * *

CCX: Author's aside: what should've been inferred there (and may not have been) is that "tomorrow" here is Saturday. Of course, I went back and checked a calendar (using the fact that the manga debuted in 2005 to assume that it's now 2006 in the story) and found that November 11 is a Saturday—hence, either it's already coming up or it's still over a week away. I'm going with "only a day away".

Nagi: I'd better keep plugging away at that cake, then.

* * *

"Whoa, Nagi, what's wit da baking? Ya forget how bad ya are at it?" (Note: I _hate_ having to write accents.)

"Why must you always pop up out of nowhere like that, Sakuya?" Nagi asked, exasperated, not turning away from her work.

"Come on. It's probably fer da best if Maria takes over." She started to drag Nagi off.

"But that would defeat the purpose!" Nagi protested.

"Da…purpose?" Sakuya asked, stopping to look at Nagi. Then her eyes caught sight of the newly-formed cleavage, and she was off again, in a different direction.

"Sakuya, will you cut that out? Why are we at the onsen?"

"Because, ya idiot, dere not gonna be able ta grow properly if ya keep dem _cooped up_ like dat!" Nagi turned bright red as her friend stripped her.

"Fine, fine. You win. We'll go in the onsen. Just let me undress myself, okay?"

Once they were in the water, Sakuya felt the need to inspect Nagi's…"progress". "Geez, Sakuya, you too? I'm not a squeeze toy!"

"Ya mean someone _else_ has done dis ta ya?"

"Y-yeah…when I first noticed that I was having trouble, I asked Maria for some help getting my bra closed, and she felt the need to grope me like that, too."

"But ya couldn't have changed _dat_ much _dat_ quickly…could ya?"

"Well, I guess I might have felt things tightening up a bit before, but today was the first time it was really too much to even get it on."

"Well, jes let onee-chan help ya out." She got on the phone to her butlers. "Yeah, I'm gonna need a change of clothes…and could ya bring over a coupla extra camis for Nagi-chan? Yeah, great. Da onsen, of course."

"Sakuya? We're naked and mostly submerged. Where the _hell_ were you keeping that phone?" Sakuya just grinned and said nothing.

* * *

"Hmm…going to have to write down how I did that… This one actually tastes good, but it still looks horrible. It's too late to start a new one now, though…I'll get it right in the morning."

* * *

Nagi: So, in other words, my latest attempt turned out kind of like your cooking?

CCX: *chuckling* Yeah, something like that.

Nagi: I've got a couple of questions for you, though. First off, how do you know so much about women's underwear?

CCX: Well, some of that was more inferred than known, but mostly, it comes from having a younger sister with a distinct lack of shame. If I had that type of boldness as well, I might ask her to check my work, but instead I'll just rely on female readers to point out any errors I might have made.

Nagi: Right…and what was with that fantasy sequence? "Bizarrely familiar?"

CCX: Huh? I didn't think you had the requisite fourth wall not to get that one.

Nagi: Please. If I didn't have at least _some_ fourth wall, there'd be almost no story, because I'd already know what Hayate was trying to hide from me. You know, because he's already mentioned it within this story, I think?

CCX: Actually, he hasn't. But you didn't seem to have a problem making a similar joke a couple of chapters ago…

Nagi: Oh, it was a shout out? Well, we do shout outs all the time in this manga. But I don't believe I've read whatever it is we were referring to there…

CCX: "Read". Right, you spend more time with manga than with anime. I suppose I can sort of understand that, as the manga usually is better, but my main reason for buying fewer anime is the price, and you're, well, rich. That would explain why you didn't see any special connection to those characters…

Nagi: Huh? "Special connection"?

CCX: Forget it. Until next time!


	6. Insert overly long chapter title here

**Waiting To Grow Up**

Disclaimer: No, I still don't own these characters.

"Well, ojou-sama, you're up earlier than I expected."

"I've almost got it just right. Our shopping trip will have to wait. If you want to help, Maria, go find Tama and tell him that if he so much as touches this cake, I _will_ throw him out of the household."

"I'll…do that."

"Hmm…looks good," she tested it, "tastes good. And it only took seven tries to get it right!"

* * *

"Ooh, this looks nice!"

"I thought we were just here to get you some larger bras, ojou-sama," Maria said.

"Well, I want to look good. It's Hayate's birthday! I want to show off the progress I'm making. Although I've still got a ways to go…"

_Well, at least she's honest with herself…

* * *

_

Nagi: You have absolutely no talent for transitional scenes.

CCX: Yeah, I know, I know…

* * *

The doorbell rang, and Hayate answered it. It was Hinagiku and Ayumu. "Happy birthday, Hayate-kun!" both said, handing him presents.

"What are they doing here?" Nagi asked, as she and Maria returned just after their arrival.

"They just came to wish me a happy birthday, ojou-sama," Hayate replied.

"Well, if you're done with that, get lost."

"Now, now, ojou-sama, I'm sure there's more than enough cake to go around," Maria chided.

"Well…attempt number six _is_ edible…fine."

"Attempt number six?" Ayumu asked.

"Ojou-sama wanted to make Hayate a cake for his birthday because she thought it would mean more than if she just bought him a gift," Maria explained, adding in a whisper, "She bought something anyway. Well, sort of. Anyway," she continued, "since she's not a great cook, it took her six tries to get something that was good enough to eat, and then one more to get it to look good as well."

"Wow…talk about diligence," Hinagiku marveled, and Ayumu nodded in agreement.

"Here it is! I hope you like it," Nagi said, blushing slightly.

"You made this all by yourself? It looks delicious…" He tried some. "Ojou-sama, this is great!"

"You really mean it?" Before either of them knew what had happened, she had jumped on him and kissed him. They both turned bright red. "Th-that was just a reflex reaction! You know, out of appreciation for you complimenting my cooking…"

"Y-yeah, I figured as much. Nothing awkward here…"

"Hold it. Why are _you_ blushing so much? You liked that, didn't you?"

"Ojou-sama, it's not nice to tease the butler."

"You got that excited from a kiss from a little girl?"

"You're hardly a 'little girl', ojou-sama."

"_Oh, really…_"

"Th-that's entrapment! I didn't mean it like _that_, just that you're really starting to grow up. Not that you're there yet."

"Oh, so you noticed?" She twirled around, modeling her new outfit.

"Yes, you look very pretty, ojou-sama." Hayate blushed.

"Why, thank you."

"Is there something we're missing here?" Hinagiku asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Hina-san," Maria replied.

"S-so, perhaps you should open your presents now," Ayumu suggested.

"That's a great idea, Nishizawa-san."

He opened hers first. It was a new cell phone case. "I was going to get you a wallet, but then I remembered that all of your pay goes right to paying off your debts," she said. Nagi breathed a sigh of relief. Hinagiku's present was next. It was a new watch, and a fairly nice one at that. "Happy birthday, Hayate-kun."

Maria then said, "Nagi and I got you something, too." She presented him with a gift, which he opened. "A new…wallet…" The other girls looked at Nagi and Maria.

"With a little bonus. For all of your hard work, and all." Nagi blushed again. Knowing Nagi and Maria's definition of "little", Hayate looked inside to find a million yen. "Well, thank you," Hayate said, giving Nagi a peck on the cheek and making her turn bright red _yet again_. The others laughed, and if she weren't already red with embarrassment, she would've turned red with anger. She laced into the older girls.

* * *

"I must admit, Nagi-chan, this was the best birthday I've ever had."

"There's something else I'd like you to admit," Nagi started, and Hayate tensed up. "You felt something when I kissed you, didn't you?"

Hayate breathed a sigh of relief, having expected a much tougher question. "Well, you _are_ pretty good. Where are all the knotted cherry stems?" Nagi turned red and slapped him. "Oh, so then you're just a natural? Or have you been getting 'live practice' somewhere?"

"J-just a natural, I guess. Besides…that cake tasted a lot better when I was licking it off of your lips," she shot back, and it was Hayate's turn to blush.

"Well, you're definitely advancing the schedule, Nagi-chan. I'm…glad." He kissed her again, on the lips, and she turned so red that she had to hide her face in her pillow when Maria came in. "Sweet dreams, Nagi-chan."

_They will be if you're in them,_ she thought.

* * *

Nagi: Why must I be blushing so much?

CCX: Because you're cute when you're blushing. Yes, perfect, just like that. Wait…that's an angry blush. Stop that! I need those parts! Nagi—

Nagi: CCX is experiencing some technical difficulties. Join us again next time!


	7. The pain of a heart torn in two

**Waiting To Grow Up**

Nagi: So, what was the hold-up?

CCX: Various other stuff. I've got finals coming up, and ChaosChampion's been on me to work on _Axis Mundi_…

Nagi: _Axis Mundi_?

CCX: We're working on a new original series. ChaosChampion originally wanted an animated series, but unlike most of his big plans, he took a step back towards reality and settled into the idea of a webcomic. I'm going to ask S.D. about drawing it when I see him this summer.

Nagi: Sounds interesting, but this isn't the place to be advertising your other works. I'll do the disclaimer: CCX here doesn't own any of this, much as he may want to.

* * *

"Hey, Maria?"

"Yes, ojou-sama?"

"I think…I think perhaps I should try sleeping on my own. I'm almost 14 now…I can't go on being afraid of the dark."

Maria raised an eyebrow. "I see…you think I'll get in the way of your 'sweet dreams'?"

"What? What are you talking about? This is strictly regarding my evolution as a young woman!"

"I never said it wasn't. Go, be a young woman."

Nagi grew even redder, and the author noticed for the first time that "redder" is a palindrome. "Shut up shut up shut up!"

* * *

"_Wh-wh-what about waiting? N-not that I mind…"_

"_I've waited long enough," the butler replied. "I can't stop thinking about you. I don't want to wait any longer."_

As Nagi continued to write the, er, manga, she grew more and more aroused, just catching herself shy of masturbation. _No, bad Nagi! Can't spoil myself for Hayate,_ she thought, snatching back her hand and crossing her arms over her chest. She shifted one hand, and then realized _exactly_ where she'd put them. _Well, I guess _that_ couldn't hurt…_ She started to massage the tender young breasts._ Yeah, definitely a bit of growth there, though not nearly as much as I would like._ She started to rub a bit harder. _I've heard that rubbing them makes them grow faster. It sounds stupid, but it's worth a shot. _Reaching under her top, she removed her bra and touched herself directly, and then lost herself in her fantasies. "Oh, Hayate, _Hayate!_" she moaned softly, then tensed up, shooting over to the door. _Good thing I locked it in advance…_ "Disregard that, okay?" she called out.

"Thinking of me, Nagi-chan?" he teased from the other side of the door, "Are you drawing your manga again?"

A flustered Nagi put some things away and replied "Th-that's none of your business!" She unlocked the door. "It's safe to come in now…if you want."

He did. "I'm honored that you think of me that way…but you really are going to have to be patient, Nagi-chan."

Nagi turned red. "Urgh…SHUT UP STUPID HAYA—mmph?"

"Hehe…Nagi-chan is so cute when she gets angry like that."

"YOU—"

"Not so loud; we're trying to keep this between us, remember?"

"You! Stop…stop sending me mixed signals like that! You say you want to wait, and then you kiss me like that…is there any wonder that you've got my emotions in a frenzy?!"

"I…don't know if I really _want_ to wait. I definitely think we _should_ wait, because you are still quite young, and it would definitely be looked down upon… After all, what sort of butler has a relationship with his underage mistress?" (CCX: That's "mistress" as in the female form of "master", not as the word is most commonly used these days.)

"You…don't _want_ to wait?"

"I didn't say that. I said I wasn't sure. I've been kind of conflicted on the matter. On the one hand, you're not really fully grown up, and you are also my ojou-sama, and so it would be wrong to want you like that. On the other, I know that you love me, and what type of fool turns down a beautiful, wealthy girl who absolutely loves him and is a damn good kisser to boot?"

"So then don't wait," Nagi replied, drawing him close. "I know that it's much too soon to do any of the things I may have been…_fantasizing_ about, but why can't we…just…" She drew him into a kiss.

He returned it. "No fair trying to tie my tongue in a knot," he teased when they broke it off.

"I told you, I haven't been practicing on cherry stems!" Nagi pouted, then muttered, "I'm an unwrapper, not a knotter."

"Unwrapper?"

"Y-yeah…that's the other thing that supposedly is a sign of a good kisser." She took out a lemon Starburst® and placed it, still wrapped, into her mouth. A few seconds later, she spit out the wrapper, still whole and devoid of the candy, which she ate. "And unlike cherries, Starburst® are never out of season."

"Well, you'll have to keep this talent under wraps," Hayate said. They heard a thud up against the wall. Nagi went to the window. "You know I hate it when you enter through the window, Sakuya, but if you're going to do it anyway, you could at least do it right!" she called down.

"How'd she know that a comeback was in order, anyway?" Hayate asked.

"I find it's best not to question anything that happens when Sakuya or Isumi are involved."

"We should make sure she's okay."

"Eh, she'll be fine. She's been through worse. Now, where were we…" She moved back in close.

"I believe we were at the part where I take my leave, dear Nagi-chan." Nagi pouted. "Though I'm sure you'll be seeing me before long."

"Shut up." She didn't deny it, though, because she knew he was right—she'd been dreaming about Hayate every night for the past week or so. What she didn't know was that she was in _his_ dreams as well on this night—or that her hug had made just as much of an impact as her kiss.

* * *

Nagi: And what exactly did _that_ mean?

CCX: It's best not to explain the joke. I'm sure the readers can figure it out.

Nagi: Is this story actually going anywhere?

CCX: I'm not totally sure. I've already got a start for Chapter 8, thought out at the same time as all of this chapter, but after that, I'm just going to see where it takes me.

Nagi: You planned this chapter out in advance? I thought you usually didn't do that.

CCX: Late at night, remember?

Nagi: Whatever…I still say that with no plan, this is going to end the same way every other one ends—unfinished.

CCX: Be a bit more optimistic! I was worried about that too—for much of last week. But one look back at the manga, and I was charged up enough to create over an entire chapter, and a decent-length one at that. So, until next time!

Starburst is a registered trademark of M&M Mars Incorporated and is not affiliated with this fanfiction in any way.


	8. A long delay and the obligatory pancakes

Waiting To Grow Up  
by Cyberchao X

Nagi: So if this fic is moving in real-time, I'm like almost 16 now, right?

CCX: This fic isn't moving in real time. You're still not quite 14.

Nagi: Damnit, I was hoping I could take advantage of your stagnation to get a quick end to this.

CCX: You're not happy with being young and in love? Well, whatever, I've got a disclaimer to do and a running gag to fulfill. These characters haven't become mine in the two years or so since I started writing this fic, though they have grown no less adorable.

Nagi: …

CCX: Oh, right, I realized that I have so much more to address. As you no doubt know, the very next fic I wrote after I started this one was a het lemon, addressing any doubts (Chapter 3)…and I was also completely wrong about my facial hair making me look my age (Chapter 2). My younger sister has confided in me that her friends who don't know me sometimes think I'm her _younger_ brother.

Nagi: …Isn't she, like, 17?

CCX: Yes. Yes she is. Which means that Maria has no reason to be mad about you saying that we looked like we could be the same age.

* * *

Saturdays were among the few days that Nagi Sanzenin actually woke up on her own at a decent hour, due to the volume of anime there was to be watched. Nevertheless, she found that the rest of the household was already up. "Mmm…breakfast smells good. What are you making, Hayate?" As if the readers didn't already know as soon as they saw the chapter number.

"Chocolate chip pancakes," Hayate answered.

"You spoil her too much, Hayate-kun," Maria said, "at least make them with something healthy like fruit."

"There's fruit in there too, Maria-san," he said quietly, but Nagi overheard anyway. "Strawberries?" she asked eagerly.

"But of course," Hayate smiled.

"_Hmm…something's not right here,"_ Maria thought. _"Hayate-kun's been even nicer than usual lately, particularly towards ojou-sama…but there's no way he could…could he? _"Hayate-kun…could I speak to you alone for a moment?"

"Can it wait, Maria-san? I'm a bit busy right now; I don't want the pancakes to burn."

"Of course. After breakfast."

After breakfast, she pulled Hayate aside while Nagi returned to watching her anime. "You and ojou-sama have been quite close recently. You wouldn't be forgetting your professional duties, would you?"

"Of course not, Maria-san! I take pride in doing the job of the Sanzenin butler to the fullest of my abilities!"

"Yes, well, just remember, she's still a little girl."

"I kind of get the feeling she wishes she weren't."

"…You know, don't you."

"…Know what?"

"I'm not going to be the one to tell you, if Ojou-sama hasn't. But _I_ know both sides of the misunderstanding that led to your hiring. Do you?"

Hayate nodded. "I do indeed."

Maria looked nervous. "Does Ojou-sama?"

"No, she doesn't. I'm trying to keep that from her as long as I can."

"…But knowing what you do about Ojou-sama's feelings, are you merely placating her as a butler, or do you return those feelings in earnest."

"It is improper for a butler to be with such a young ojou-sama, and I have told her this, and so I have sworn that when she is older, we can be together."

"…You really are an honorable man, Hayate-kun."

"My only concern is that she isn't exactly patient. And she is indeed a lovely young lady."

"I trust that you have enough honor to restrain yourself."

"…Always."

* * *

"Hayate?"

"Yes, ojou-sama? What can I do for you?"

"It's nothing. I just enjoy your company, you know?"

"I'm flattered, ojou-sama, but I'm really quite busy. If there's nothing I'm needed for."

"Have you forgotten who your employer is? If I say you're free, you're free." Nagi scowled and pulled him down onto the couch.

"Is this…really appropriate?"

"Shut up. We're not doing anything more than sitting close to one another and snuggling up."

Hayate smiled. "And as always, ojou-sama is quite warm." This only made the blushing girl burn brighter.

* * *

Nagi: Well, that didn't progress very far.

CCX: It didn't have to. This is kind of a slice of life type of fanfiction. Besides, this is a chapter that could be viewed as either the eighth or the ninth, which makes me wonder why it took so long to produce when there was an obvious starting point.

Nagi: …Right, the running gag. Well executed here; kind of shoehorned—

CCX: Shut up! I haven't finished that chapter yet; this one's coming out first even though I started it later.

Nagi: Oh. Sorry.

CCX: It's okay. Hopefully this update won't be a one-time thing.

CCX and Nagi: Ja ne!


End file.
